I made Ina Garten's 5-cheese penne pasta and it was the comfort dish of my dreams

Anneta KonstantinidesSep 19, 2020, 17:34 IST

Insider

I've made a number of Ina Garten's dishes over the last few months.
When I found out she had a penne pasta recipe with five different cheeses, I knew I had to try it.
The dish — which only has a few simple steps — combines Gorgonzola, fontina, mozzarella, Romano, and ricotta cheeses.
Garten's five-cheese pasta is super rich without being too heavy, and it's the perfect dish to get you through fall and winter.

As temperatures start to dip and we settle back into our favorite sweaters, the time has come to whip up some comforting meals for dinner.

And no chef has soothed me more over these last few months than Ina Garten, who understands that sometimes you just need a cocktail at 9 a.m.

So when I discovered that the "Barefoot Contessa" star has a penne recipe with five different cheeses, I knew I had to try it for myself.

The delicious dish only has a few simple steps. And just one bite revealed that it has the power of a warm blanket, roaring fireplace, and mug of hot cocoa — all wrapped up into one cheesy bowl.

This isn't the first time I've made one of Ina Garten's pasta dishes.

Ina Garten has been my source of kitchen inspiration over these last few months. Ina Garten/Instagram; Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

Garten's penne pasta requires five different cheeses.

Ricotta, fontina, and mozzarella are among the five cheeses in Garten's penne recipe. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

Garten's five-cheese penne also requires four additional ingredients.

You'll also need heavy cream, crushed tomatoes, basil, and penne. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

To prep, I preheated my oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and started grating and measuring out my cheeses.

I grated my cheeses and used a measuring cup to get the recipe just right. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

I couldn't help but admire all the beautiful cheeses in my mixing bowl.

I was intrigued to see how all these cheeses would work together. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

After I finally stopped staring at my cheese, I added the crushed tomatoes and heavy cream.

After adding the cheeses, I threw in the additional ingredients. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

I also chopped up some basil to throw on top.

You'll need six basil leaves for the recipe. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

And just before I mixed everything together, I started cooking my pasta.

I parboiled my penne for four minutes. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

As I mixed the cheesy sauce, I watched as it turned into a surprising shade of millennial pink.

I loved the pale-pink color of the sauce mixture. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

After draining my parboiled noodles, I put them back into the same pot and added my cheesy pink mixture.

I made sure all my penne noodles were submerged in the pink sauce. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

And just before popping my pasta in the oven, I added some butter.

I went against Garten's recipe and added far less butter. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

It took less than 20 minutes to bake the pasta.

The dish isn't meant to take too long in the oven. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

The pasta came out looking glorious.

The pasta has a gorgeous golden-brown color. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

And it tasted so good we went back for seconds.

The pasta was creamy and rich without being too heavy. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

Garten's five-cheese penne is definitely a must-have dish for the fall and winter seasons.

I can't wait to make Garten's five-cheese penne again. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

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